FAMILIES

Lana Rush’s daughter Lily unexpectedly stopped speaking when she was about 18 months old

Written by Kelly Boldt

Lana Rush learns the language of love isn’t always spoken when her youngest daughter Lily inexplicably loses the ability to speak

“Ryan finally looked me in the eye and

asked me if I thought Lily

was regressing. Clearly, we had both noticed it, and it was time

to face it.”

- Lana Rush

Photo by Heidi D

oe

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LLana Rush and her husband, Ryan, are the proud parents of three daughters: Ryley, 21, Reagan, 18, and Lily, 8. When Lily was born, the Rush family took her home and expected to start the familiar task of caring for an infant. But at 5 days old, Lily stopped breathing.

Clinging to Life�ey rushed her to the hospital where it was discovered that Lily had a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), more commonly known as a hole in the heart. �e family lived in Austin at the time, but came to Houston’s Texas Children’s Hospital to have the necessary surgery.

Ryan recalls, “I remember walking into the intensive care unit a�er Lily’s open-heart surgery for the �rst time and viewing our little girl clinging to life. She was surrounded by monitors and tubes and breathing machines.”

Lily was unconscious and unaware of her father’s presence. “But then Lana walked in the room, she leaned down, kissed Lily gently, and whispered that she loved her,” shares Ryan. “�e monitors began to report that Lily’s heart rate elevated with no explanation but that the presence of her mom had made a tangible impact. �at moment really encapsulates what Lana has meant to Lily, and Lily to Lana, on this journey.”

Heartbreaking SilenceSoon, other physical issues were uncovered, but the hope was that �xing her heart would take care of those as well. “We spent so much time in the hospital during her �rst few months, it was like we lived there,” Lana recalls. “Lily rolled over for the �rst time in a hospital bed.”

A�er surgery, Lily immediately started showing improvement. She started walking, talking, and responding when they read her books. “She used to walk into the church nursery and greet everyone with a bubbly, ‘Hey there!’”

�ings were de�nitely looking up. “At 18 months, I noticed that she seemed a little less engaged,” Lana recalls. “I am de�nitely not a person who lives in denial, but I tried not to acknowledge

what I thought might be happening. One night in the kitchen, Ryan �nally looked me in the eye and asked me if I thought Lily was regressing. Clearly, we had both noticed it, and it was time to face it.” Not long a�er that, Lily unexpectedly stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since.

Becoming Lily’s AdvocateLana not only continued to nurture her daughter’s special needs, but she became more determined than ever to �nd out what was wrong. “I am a researcher,” explains Lana, “I jumped on the internet. I was going to �nd out what was wrong and �nd the best doctors to help us.”

Lana Rush says her daughter Lily is the family’s miracle

“We love her exactly the

way she is, but I need to feel

like we’ve done everything we possibly can to

help her.”- Lana Rush

�e next several years became a roller coaster as they met with doctors around the country in search of answers. Although there is some de�nitive information now, learning is still a very important part of their lives. “We love her exactly the way she is, but I need to feel like we’ve done everything we possibly can to help her,” Lana says. “It’s hard �nding that balance. I don’t want to miss breaking news because I’ve stopped looking.”

Our MiracleToday, Lily attends Arbor School in Houston. “�ey love Lily, and that is what a mother needs when trusting the care of her special child to someone else.”

“Being Lily’s mom has taught me not to major on the minors,” Lana describes. “She has taught me what things aren’t important. We have learned to celebrate the smallest victories. Some days I have to choose to keep going even though I’m not getting anything in return. I don’t get to hear ‘�anks, mom,’ ‘Can we go outside?’ or ‘I love you’. �ere’s no doubt that she loves us, but she hasn’t said it to me in almost eight years.” Lana and her husband Ryan, who is the senior pastor at Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, compare it to God’s love for us. “God loves us despite the fact that we don’t always tell him we love Him back,” explains Lana. “We know that Lily is not our ‘sick’ child; she is our miracle.”

Since moving to Katy last June, Lana has found many things she enjoys about the area. “I have found that there are so many resources in the Katy area for our family. You can be looking for a speci�c club, therapy, or medical service and chances are good you’ll �nd something to meet your needs. �e people here have been very warm and welcoming to our family - all of us.” KM

KELLY BOLDT is a Katy mom and freelance writer who loves to share stories of people doing amazing things.

Phot

o by

Lay

la Z

akar

ia

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Ryan and Lana with their three daughters Reagan, Lily, and Ryley

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